Process of repairing radiators



W. M. WRIGHT, C. TEEPLES AND J. J. LAMB.

PROCESS OF REPAIRING RADIATORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 6. 191B.

Patented June 8, l 920 by new rams; W M. W121 G'HT, CLARENCE Zzznzs A ND :1? J. LAMB UNITED STATES WILSON M. WRIGHT, CLARENCE TEEPLES, AND JAMES J. LAMB, OF JEFFERSON, IOWA.

PATENT OFFICE.

PROCESS OF REPAIRING RADIATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1920.

' Application filed March 6, 1918. Serial No. 220,832.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known'that we, WILSON M. WRIGHT, CLARENCE TEEPLES, and JAMES J. LAMB, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of Jefferson, Greene county, Iowa, have invented a new and useful Process of Repairing Radiators and the like, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved process for repairing reticulated objects or articles such as radiators of water-cooled explosive engines, in which each object or article is pro-heated to the desired temperature throughout a selected portion thereof and then such preheated selected portion of the object or article is subjected to a flowing bath of repairing material such as melted lead or solder.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved process of repairing objects or articles such as radiators of water-cooled explosive engines involving cleaning of each object or article, applying thereto a flux, pro-heating a selected portion of said object or article to the desired temperature, and subjecting such selected portion to a flowing bath of sealing or repairing material such as molten lead or solder, the temperature of the selected portion being maintained at or above the desired temperature during the application of the sealing material thereto and until such sealing material effectively closes and seals the affected parts.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved process of repairing objects or articles such as radiators of water-cooled explosive engines involving cleaning of each object or article, applying thereto a flux, pro-heating a selected portion of said object or article to the desired temperature, and subjecting such selected portion to a flowing bath of sealing or repairing material such as molten lead or solder, the temperature of the selected portion being maintained at or above the desired temperatureduring the application of the sealing material thereto and until such sealing material effectively closes and seals the affected parts, a single heating unit or medium being employed for both pre-heating the object and melting the sealing material, various selected portions of the object or article being successively subjected to preheating and sealing operations by adjustment of the object or article relative to the heating unit, all waste sealing material belng recovered immediately within the influence of the heating unit.

Our invention consists in the process hereinafter set forth and pointed out in our claims, in carrying out which process an apparatus may be employed such as is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating the apparatus in position for use and Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.

In the construction of the apparatus as shown a cubical skeleton frame is employed preferably constructed of upright corner posts 10 made of angle bars, a top frame 11 made of angle bars rigidly connected and secured to the corner posts by corner plates 12, cross bars 13 arranged horizontally and connectingrigidly lower end portions of the corner posts, and braces 1a rigidly connecting the corner posts on oblique lines and rigidly connected together at points of crossing between said posts. A cover frame 15 is provided and preferably is made of angle bars rigidly connected by corner plates 16, and of a size and shape corresponding to the plan of the cubical frame. The cover frame 15 is hinged at one side to one side of the top frame 11 and is provided with depending struts l7 pivoted adj acent to the free ends of the side bars thereof and adapted to be adjustably secured to the top frame 11, by bolts 18 placed through selected registering apertures 19 in the struts and side bars of said top frame. By this means any desired inclination may be given to the cover frame 15 relative to the top frame 11. A housing 20 is located centrally of the top frame ll and is supported by a hanger 21. in such manner that the up per end of said housing is in a horizontal plane slightly below that of the top frame. A melting pot 22 is centrally and suitably mounted in the housing 20 and a hydrocarbon burner (not shown) is located within the housing beneath said melting pot and is supplied with fuel through a valve-controlled pipe 23 leading from a supply tank 24 mounted on one side and below the top of the cubical frame and adapted to feed fuel under pressure to said burner. The melting pot 22 is adapted to contain molten sealing material such as lead or solder and with water-cooled explosive engines,

a ladle 25 may be introduced to said melting pot and manipulated relative thereto through the space between the elevated side of the cover frame 15 and the adjacent side of the top frame 11. It is to be understood that heated air and products of hydrocarbon combustion ascend through the space between the melting pot 22 and housing 20 through the top frame 11 and cover frame 15 and that heat also is radiated upwardly from the surface. of the molten material in the melting pot.

In carrying out our improved process a reticulated object or article such as a radiator 26 such as commonly isused in connection is mounted in recumbent position on the cover frame 15 and is adjusted laterally in either direction on said cover frame so as to bring an affected or damaged part thereof within the influence of heat disseminated upwardly from the housing 20 and melting pot 22.

V The radiator 26 is thoroughly cleaned as to the affected parts before the same is positioned as shown and atthe proper time such affected parts are treated with a suitable flux to assist the sealing material in adhering to and forming a close union with said parts. The selected affected part of the radiator 26 is subjected to the influence of heat as described until the temperature thereof has been raised to the desired degree and the sealing material has melted to the desired consistency, whereupon a portion of the sealing'material is removed from the melting pot by manipulation of the ladle 25 and poured from above upon said selected affected parts, thus subjecting such parts to a flowing bath of molten material. The molten material flows through the reticulated object in contact with and within any slits, breaks or holes within the path of travel of the material and the waste or overflow thereof, that is to say any portion of the material not adhering to the object or article, flows by gravity within and is received by and recovered to the melting pot 22. Successive treatment may be given to suecessive affected parts of the radiator 26 by shifting said radiator laterally in either direction so as to center the affected parts over the melting pot and bring the same within the influence of upwardly radiated heat and flowingbath from the manipulated ladle.

o claim as our invention--- 1. An improved process of repairing reticulated objects, such as a radiator which process consists in supporting the object in a recumbent position upon supports arranged adjacent to the edges of the object, adjusting the object laterally to bring the portion thereof to be repaired into a selected vertical plane, melting sealing material in mass through radiation from a heating unit, cleaning and fluxing selected portions of an object to be treated, subjecting said selected portions successively 'to the influence of said heating unit and to the influence of heat radiated from the molten mass, then applying to said selected portions a flowing bath of theimolten material re moved from the mass, andrecovering surplus sealing material'to said mass by gravity flow through and from the reticulated object being treated. V

2. An improved process of repairing reticulatedfobjects such as radiators of water-cooled explosive engines, which process consists in cleaning the damaged parts, applying flux thereto, mounting said object in recumbent position over a heating medium and melting pot, adjusting said object laterally relative to a vertical plane intersecting the center of the melting pot so as to center the affected parts successively relative to said melting pot, and applying sealing material from said melting pot to said affected parts successively by .pouring a quantity ofsuch material'ladled from said melting pot overand upon said affected parts and permitting the surplus of such material ito flow through and from said affected parts to said melting pot.

3. The :process of repairing a reticulated object such as a radiator, comprising the supporting of the object in recumbent position upon supports arranged adjacent to the edges of the object, lateral adjustment ofthe object soas to bring a portion thereof to be repaired into a selected position, the thorough cleaning of the exterior of said portion to be repaired, the locating of the heating medium in the vertical plane'of and below the portion to be repaired, fluxing the WILSON M. WRIGHT. CLARENCE TEEPLES.

JAMES J. LAMB. 

